Improvement in base-balls



l. GIBLIN.

Base-Balls.

Patented July 27,1875.

".PETERS; PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GIBLIN, OF BOSTON, MASSAUHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BASE-BALLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 165,994, dated July 27,1875; application filed June 25, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN GI LIN, of Boston, of the county of Suifolkand State of 'Massachusetts, have invented a new and -have to beattained to insure their use by players-that is, each ball must be ofthe standard diameter, elasticity, and weight.

To attain such, a spherical core or heart of proper size and materialhas been wound with an elastic substance, such as cotton or woolen yarn,until of suitable diameter, and next covered with leather. or acomposition of vulcanizable india-rubber and ground orbroken cork hasbeen made into a sphere, and covered with a layer of rubber, and thewhole subjected to the vulcanizing processes.

The first kind of ball, not having a waterproof covering, soon becomesdestroyed by use. Generally speaking, one game suflices with the bestplayers for its condemnation.

When made of rubber and cork it is liable not only to fail inelasticity, but becomes too heavy for use.

In rocking my improved ball, I compose "1 core or heart A 'of palm-leaftightly 1 mud or folded in a spherical form. Around such core I wind athick stratum, B, of woolen yarn, and about this latter a thin stratum,0, of cotton twine or thread, which, on its outside, I cover with a thinlayer of liquid vulcanizable india-rubber. Over and around the whole Iplace a cover, D, composed of two or more thick sheets of vuleanizableindia-rubber, with their edges in contact. These 1 generally form ingores, like the quarters of the rind of an orange, cut in planes atright angles. This having been done the whole is .to be put into aspherical metallic mold of the proper diameter, and composed of twohollow hemispheres. The mold is to be closed and pressed togethertightly upon the mass within it, so as to mold it to a perfect sphereand to the proper diameter, after which such mold with its contents isto be heated, so as vnlcanize the rubber cover, and close it tightly andthoroughly in all its oints.

The object of the cotton layer 0 is to prevent the woolen yarn frombeing crisped or burned during the heating process, which it is liableto be without such a protection, and, furthermore, the cotton thread ortwine serves to better hold to the india-rubber than the woolen yarnwill. In some cases the stratum of cotton thread or twine covering thebody may be dispensed with; but itis far better to have it, as it aidsin rendering the cover tougher or more like leather, and capable ofenduring the blows of the bat to better advantage.

From the above it will be seen that my improved ball has, combined withthe woolen body and its heart, an elastic and waterproof covering onealso very tough and enduring.

The common ball, as described, having a leather cover upon a body ofyarn wound on a heart or center sphere, becomes unfit for service incase of getting wet, as water soaked into it will render it too heavy,and besides is deleterious in various other respects,

My improved ball is not only impervious to water, but can be made topossess the requisite standard of elasticity, weight, and diameter. Itwill outlast very many of the leather-covered balls, and, having noscams or sewing as they have, is not so liable to injure the hands of aplayer.

I claim- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a waterproof base orcricket ball, composed essentially of a heart, A, of palm-leaf or othersuitable material, a mass, B, of woolen yarn wound thereon to therequisite thickness, and an external water-proof cover, D, of two ormore pieces of india-rubber compressed thereon and into close contact attheir edges, and into shape and size by a mold, and vulcanized, allsubstantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the ball-body, having its outer layer composed ofwoolen yarn, and its external cover of vulcanized rubber, applied, asdescribed, the protective or interposed covering 0 of cotton or cottonyarn, all arranged as specified.

JOHN GIBLIN. Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, J. R. Snow.

